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Better an incompetent for-profit doctor than a competent government-funded one

Submitted by Tim Harford
On Mon, 08/08/2005

The caped crusader, Adamsmithee[1], points us to an incredible and rather sad piece of research from our World Bank colleagues Jishnu Das and Jeffrey Hammer[2]. Looking at doctors in Delhi, they conclude:

Under-qualified private sector doctors, even though they know less, provide better care on average than their better-qualified counterparts in the public sector.

The public sector doctors didn't bother to take the time needed for a proper diagnosis. Training does help, it seems, but not nearly as much as keen incentives.